Cats and plants

The other day, I discovered the joys of a local nursery (for PLANTS! Plants, people!) and loaded up on a few pieces of greenery to liven up the joint.

I got two 3-gallon pots of hardy azaleas -- good, as I'll probably kill at least one of them -- some hanging geraniums, and a palm for inside (I already forgot the name of it but it's cat-friendly).

By the way, who knew ficus was toxic to cats? So no ficus.

Anyhoo, the palm immediately fell victim to our apparently starving cats. Bernie looked like a panda last night climbing on top of the entertainment center and pulling leaves off the top of the poor thing.

Anyone know of a good, strong, cat-friendly indoor tree with tough leaves?

Sunday, in the yard, with the rake

It's a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon -- a hint of chilliness still in the air, with tomorrow's temperatures (forecast at 80) hinting at a summer to come.

Good weekend for some yardwork.

Besides the exercise we clearly got, I find that yardwork is incredibly satisfying. It's not always clear right away that a lot of work has been done, but something about digging in the dirt, erasing the dead leaves and detritus of a rather tough winter, is good for the mind.

We hit Home Depot yesterday to buy fertilizer, some patching materials, a little potting soil, and a few extra things along the way ... like a small fire pit. Might have to reward ourselves tomorrow with some good wine and a little heat after what will surely be a long day at work.

Three new experiences for Bich:

1. We fertilized a yard! 

2. Brooke used a hedge trimmer! (Really, I shouldn't be allowed to play with power tools -- I might have had a little too much fun with it.)

3. We planted herbs! Rich straightened the sagging flower boxes and I refreshed the soil, and now we have two fresh boxes of cilantro and rosemary -- two of my favorite herbs. Looking forward to some well-seasoned steaks and fresh salsa.

Conversations

Brooke (kissing Rich on the forehead as he sleeps on a friend's couch): I'm off to work. It's 10 minutes to 9.

Rich (smiling): I want to live in Hoboken.

Brooke (also smiling): A bit late for that, but yeah, me, too.

Rich: Let's move to Hoboken.

Brooke: Go to work.

Rich: Look how short your commute will be today.

Brooke: Look how broke we'd be if we lived here. (Thinks of previous night of drinking and debauchery with Jen at Bin 14.)

Rich: . . .

*****

Coming up on HoB:

• A video tour update of the house as we approach the one-year mark of our purchase. It's part of an assignment Brooke has for her HTML class (embedding video into her website, set to launch in a little more than a month).
• Small updates on yardwork. Once the weather finally breaks, we'll get to work raking and fertilizing, cutting down a few dead bushes and small trees, and planning which greenery will join the backyard. It already looks completely different from when we bought the house.
• Pictures of the basement as Brooke tackles the cleanup. Currently, it's a box jungle, which the cats love. Hopefully, by the fall, the basement will be nearly empty, cleaned, painted white and will finally be home to a new utility sink.